Resurrecting Old Ghost's
by Crazy Cape Bretoner
Summary: This story take's place long after the event's of the game and movie. The Mesa Church is spreading it's religon across the world of Gaia, spreading the word of it's savior, Sephiroth and his children.
1. The Lie's Of A Fath

**Reseracting Old Ghost's**

Chapter 1: The Lie's Of A Fath

Maeko felt a cold wind blowing across the waters of the Bulmor harboMaeko felt a cold wind blowing across the waters of the Bulmor harbor as stared out into the dark night sky. He suddenly felt all alone in the world, lost in a sea of unfamiliar face's. It had been a week since he left the Mesa church, although cast out might be a better term.

He had been researching ancient document's and journals during his spare time in the basement library of the Mesa compound. He came across some strange documents which looked to be older then perhaps the Mesa Church itself. In these document's he found what appeared to be the chronicles of a group named Avalanche. Avalanche, in the teachings of the Mesa Church, was the group responsible for the downfall of Midgar, the great holy land. But these document's spoke of Avalanche as if they were hero's. As Maeko delved into the documents, simply titled "Project Jenova", he began to question the Mesa Church and it's teachings. Cloud Striff was not painted as the evil, menacing force that Mesa made him out to be. Just as Sephearoth was not the savior he was believed to be. Maeko reported his findings to head of his order, Binah Clare Heart. Clare assured Maeko that the document's were of course fake, but Maeko felt there was more to "Project Jenova" then it just being a fake and felt that it should be researched in depth. Clare told him that she would bring the documents to the attention of the Kether Elyon, Longinus.

As Maeko laid in his small room in the Mesa Church in Malkuth he thought of the event's in "Project Jenova". Cloud and the rest of Avalanche fighting against Shin-Ra and then Sepheroth, the man he called his savior. He wondered if it was true, if he had really been worshiping a madman. The sound of footsteps marched down the stone floor outside the door to his room. The door violently burst open, and standing there clad in full armor was Hughe Payen, Grand Master of the SOLDER Templar. Templar SOLDER's dragged Maeko out of bed and placed him in handcuff's.

"Maeko Stem, you are here by dismissed by the Mesa Church for conspiring against the Church and it's members. You are being given the chance to leave the Church of your own free will only as you are one of the few that the former Kether Elyon held in his good graces." Hughe Payen glared at Maeko "In my own personal opinion you should be sentenced to death for charges such as these. Leave the Mesa Compound and never return, or I will make it my intention to carry forth that sentence personally."

Maeko had not been given the chance to reply to the charges laid upon him before he was blindfolded and carried off. That was a week ago, a week Maeko had spent struggling just for survival. Maeko eventually found his way to Bulmor, a town on the coast line of what use to be the Woodlands Area. There he was hoping to find passage to New Junon and make his way to the runes of Edge, which also happen to be the runes of Midgar and the starting point for all Mesa's teachings and beliefs. He would visit the temples of Sepheroth and his children. Maybe there he would find some answers.

Shera Highwind was getting her ship, The Bronco, ready for departure. She glanced around nervously as she took the shiny green orb out of the burlap sac it was hidden and placed it in a chest, closing and locking the lid. Shera was amazed that her contact actually came through. Matira was hard to come by, especially Cure matira. She hurriedly slid the chest under the bed in her captains quarters and left to make the final preparations to return to the small village of Truno, also known as New Junon. As she made her way to the deck of The Bronco she could hear voices. She did not recognize the voices which immediately put her on edge. As she slowly peered through the crack in the door which lead to the ships deck she could see two male's rummaging through her supplies. _There looking for the Matira..._ she realized. Without thinking Shera burst through the door and dropped one of the assailant's with a swift kick to the skull, but the other didn't go down so easily. He got hold of her and brought her to the ground, twisting her arm to the breaking point.

Maeko heard a scream of pain coming from one of the ship's but could not pinpoint exactly which one. Then another cry, sounding like a woman, coming from a small ship near the end of the harbor. Maeko rushed toward the ship to aid the girl. He hurried onto the ship's deck and was met face to face with a large bald man with black robe and a strange glow in his eye's. The bald man reached toward him, but was shocked when the small young man grabbed his arm and with amazing strength hurled him over his shoulder. The bald man landed with a thud, tried to get up but fell back to the ground, out cold. Maeko couldn't help noticing a red tattoo on the man's forearm, a cross, with equal arm's, slightly flared at the end's. _I've seen that symbol somewhere before, but where._ Before Maeko had a chance to think, he was struck on the back of the head. A sickening crack echoed through Maeko's head, then the darkness took him.


	2. The Journey To New Junon pt 1

Resurrecting Old Ghost's

Chapter 2: The Journey To New Junon

Maeko awoke to the sound's of the ocean, he registerd the gentle rocking motion, but was unaware what had happend. Then it hit him, the memory's came flooding like a dam in his mind just broke. He was hit on the head but what happend after that. _I must have been knocked unconcuse. _He heard the door to the room he was in creek open. It was the first time he even relized his surroundings. He was in a bed, a nice bed at that, must have been the captin's room. _I must be on that ship. _Maeko thought to himself.

As Shera walked into her room Maeko sat up. It must have been to quickly thoe as he held a hand to his head and laid back down.

"Careful," Shera said to Maeko, who just looked at her in confusion. "You got quite the blow to your head."

_I'd say, _Maeko thought to himself._ I thought I was dead. _"What happend to me?" he asked Shera. _You saved my life. _Shera looked at the young man with affection. "My name is Shera Highwind, and this is my ship, The Bronco. I hope you don't mind but I coulden't just leave you where you were, and I coulden't stay. I'm kind of on a tight schedule and needed to get home to Truno."

At the mention of the town, Maeko again shot up, the fermiler ache finding it's way to his head once again. "You're going to New Junon?"

Shera looked shocked. "Yes, I have some... uhh... business there. You're going there as well?" Maeko looked at Shera debating on what to tell her, usure weathere or not to trust her.

"Yes, that's actually what I was doing at the dock." Maeko decided that was enough information for now, no need to go into too much detail just yet. Besides, it would appear that he was not the only one with secreats. Shera never did offer an explination as to why she was attacked, nor did Maeko care to know at this point. At the moment all that mattered was that he was alive and on his way to New Junon.

* * *

Once Maeko had fully recoverd he went right to work helping Shera with the voyage to Truno. He had no idea why there was no crew, and thought it better not to ask, there was something odd about Shera, she was hiding something. Shera sat on the deck next to Maeko watching the sunmelt into the sea. Maeko looked at her long blond hair, cold blue eye's. She was very atractive, but Maeko coulden't even think about romance now, his head was filled with even bigger questions. Like the tattoo, the red cross with equal arms, slightly flared at the end's. _Where have I seen this before?_ Maeko wonderd, unable to place it, but it seemed so familiar to him. 

"Are you going to see your family Maeko?" Shera asked out of the blue. Maeko looked at her, there was a sadness in her eye's now. "No..." Maeko thought about elabrating, but decided against it. _No need to come clean about my past yet, mabey I'll let her go first. _Maeko just looked at Shera. "No, I don't have any family in Truno, I'm actually going to explore the rest of the world." Maeko was shoked at how easily the lie had escaped his lips, but it wasen't really a lie, he would be greatful to see more of the world, even if it wasen't his primary motive.

Shera continued to stare out over the water, the sun almost compleatly down now. She looked like she had something on her mind. Maeko thought for a second he saw tears welling in her eye's but her cheaks remained dry. "I had a family, a long time ago. Now all I have is The Bronco, and..." Maeko heard the longing in her voice for her story to be told. _Perhaps now would be the time to ask her, _Maeko thought to himself. He opend his mouth to speak his question, but before he got his voice to speak, Shera stood "Well, lets get some rest, we should be in Truno by this time tommrow."

* * *

Maeko woke to a dense fog surrondingThe Bronco. As he walked out to the deak he saw Shera looking over the bow. "What's going on?" Shera could sense a hint of worrie in Maeko's voice. "I'm not sure, but I do know there's no way for me to navigate in this. We're going to have to drop anchor and wait for the fog to clear before we can start again." Shera looked out into the nothingness that surronded them, "And I'm worried that it may be a while before that happens." Maeko thought he heard something in the fog, it sounded like the flaping of large wings for a moment and then it stoped. Maeko thought about it a moment, then brushed it off, after all he did just suffer a major head wound, and Shera diden't seem to notice it. 

As the two sat on the deck waiting for the weather to clear so they can get on there way, Shera started to hum a song that gave Maeko a strange chill. He knew that he had heard the song before but just could not place it. The fog seemed to be getting thicker and diden't seem to show any sign of lifting. "Who were the men at the dock Shera?" The word's shocked Maeko as much as they shocked Shera. Maeko diden't even meen to say them, they just came out. Shera just looked at him for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure, I think they were looking for something." "Looking for what?" Maeko decided that he might as well keep the conversation going, altho he already knew what the men were looking for. "I'm not sure, they must have had the wrong ship..." Shera's voice trailed off. "They might have been looking for the matria you have." Shera was stund, flew to her feet and jumped back. "Just who are you?" Shera shouted at Maeko. "I'm just who I said I was, I just recived a fatle head wound, and belive me, I know that should have killed me. Yet here I stand, alive and well. The only explanation is that you had cure materia." Shera was shocked, she diden't know what to do or say, or even if she could now trust Maeko. Maeko could sense this and decided to tell her everything that brought him to her ship.

Maeko told Shera everything, about Mesa, about his subsequent dismissal, about how he made his way to Bulmor Harbor, and finaly about 'Project Jenova' and his jouney to the runes of Midgar and Edge. Shera was stuned "The Mesa Church let you live, even after finding one of the Jenova files?" Maeko gave Shera a strange look "The Jenova files? You mean you've heard of them?" Shera walked over by Maeko "You'd better sit down, there's alot I need to tell you."

Shera told her story as Maeko listend intently. "My name is Shera Highwind, in relation to Cid Highwind, who's name I'm sure you know. I was brought up to belive that Cloud and the rest were trying to save the planet from Sepheroth. My family and I have been hunted down by the Mesa Church to be killed..." Shera choked back some tears. "they killed my mother and father infront of my brother and I, then they killed my brother. I don't remember much after that but someone saved me, all I remeber was a red streak through the sky as I woke up in the woods. Since then I've dedicated my life to exposing the lie's the Mesa Church spreads with it's teachings. The Matirea is for a friend in New Junon, the healing Matirea is to be put to use in caring for the ill. The rest will be returned to the life stream." At this Maeko felt a chill. He was alway's taught that Matirea was Giai's gift to Man, but the Church is full of lie's and that may just be another one.

Shera was about to start again when they heard a screach coming from the fog. It was clearly not human, then Maeko heard the wings again, but this time they were close. A monsterous dragon swooped in through the fog landing on the deck. The two jumped up "Quick, down below!" Shera shouted to Maeko, who did not hesitate leaping through the open door, as Shera was about to follow, the dragon grasped her in it's masive claw's and, to Maeko's horror, pinned her to the deck, helpless.


End file.
